Black Spire III: A Twisted King

Black Spire Rising: A Summary

A summary of the events of the Black Spire

28

AUG/14

Alice, Ace and Culgalath were clearing out some goblins on behalf of the Pathfinder Society of Stonehaven, when a horrible noise split the day, and an enormous pitch-black spire shot out of the ground in the midst of the city.

They hastily made their way towards their home, stopping at Elon’s Rest to meet some refugees and learn more of the situation. Creatures from the Underdark had traveled inside the spire, and a black cloud poured from the earth, darkening the sky. Within days, Stonehaven would be draped in eternal night. A few paladins were protecting more refugees to the east.

They met the paladin Sir Tristan, who died fighting back some blind cave ogres that were pursuing the refugees. Killing the ogres, they saved his two apprentices and continued east, being ambushed in the night by a drow noble. Using the release of an enslaved earth elemental to cause chaos among a group of duergar slavers, they infiltrated the city and reached the Pathfinder Society headquarters. They learned by interrogating a duergar that a demon of some sort was behind the invasion and that a wizard named Ofec had somehow summoned it. The Mages’ Guild might know more. Unfortunately, the mages had established a protective barrier around their guild, allowing nothing to enter or leave.

Reaching the Mages’ Guild, they fought off a bulette led by a drow beastmistress. Saving some refugees from a gargoyle, they ran into a mysterious necromancer who offered his aid in lowering the barrier. The necromancer was seeking his apprentice, who had stolen a precious stone and cast a curse on him that made him rot alive.

Agreeing to help him for now, the necromancer lowered the barrier and they entered the guild. They learned that Ofec had come there pretending to be a weak and incompetent wizard, and that he had brought an apprentice of his own: Ironcrow, the mongrel sorcerer. Questioning Ironcrow, they learned that Ofec had stolen the Chief-Stone, a powerful diamond with the blood of some abominable beast contained within. The necromancer was midway through using this stone as a phylactery. They convinced the Guild to release Ironcrow, because he claimed to be able to sense the stone’s presence.

Thereafter, they ventured to a small church that had survived the destruction caused by the Spire. The church had been taken over by an Erinyes, a fallen angel, who was busy torturing two paladins inside. Rina, the last remaining paladin, was adamant about rescuing them. The party agreed to help her. They attacked the fallen angel and killed it, rescuing the paladins and returning to the Pathfinder headquarters. Ironcrow had, meanwhile, discerned the location of the stone – inside the Thieves’ Guild.

Holing up in the headquarter overnight, they were attacked three times – first by blind cave ogres, their cave elephant, and a hideous daemon, then by shadows, and then by a drider and some drow. They ventured out to the Thieves Guild in the morning, and learned that Ofec had taken over and made himself boss, by killing one of three leaders and kidnapping the brother of a prominent thug, blackmailing him to obey. By conspiring with King Rat, the leader of the halfling rogues, they distracted the thug and attacked Ofec, killing him.

Taking the stone, they returned to the surface. In the process of searching through the Guild, Culgalath put on a cursed belt that would transform him into an ogre. With no way to break the curse, they offered the stone to the necromancer in return for his aid. He broke the curse and disappeared, but not before they had learned his plan: To become a lich. In truth, he hadn’t been “cursed” with rotting – he was halfway through the ritual of lichdom, and his body had already died and begun decomposing.

With time running out, they made an assault on the tower. Climbing and sneaking through it, they eventually reached the top – to learn that Guzurath, the demon, had already betrayed the drow and all but killed their high priestess. A brutal battle ensued in which Alice was possessed by the demon’s decoy bodyguard, but they slew the bodyguard, confronted Guzurath, and defeated him using a scroll with the demon’s True Name that Ofec had carried. With the demon banished to the Abyss, the Spire collapsed, as did the tunnels beneath it, crushing the invading Drow armies and everyone unfortunate enough to remain in the city. The heroes barely escaped with their lives, running into Alice’s sister Alishia just outside.

The demon stopped and the invaders defeated, they proceeded to return to the Mountainhome, reporting their victory.